Fisheries activities in Malindi Sub County received a major boost after the national and Kilifi County governments donated 18 engine-propelled boats for use in off-shore fishing.
Governor Gideon Mung’aro officially launched the modern boats at a colourful ceremony held at the Buntwani Sea Front Grounds in Kilifi’s Shella Ward, where he said the local fisherfolk would be able to venture into the deep sea and thus improve fish landing.
Fourteen of the boats were donated by the National Government through the World Bank-funded Kenya Marine Fisheries and Socio-Economic Development (KEMFSED) Project, while four were donated by the Kilifi County Government through the Shella Ward Development Fund.
Mungaro said Sh98 million had been spent on KEMFSED projects in phase one of the programme and that another Sh281 million would be sent in phase two, with beneficiaries drawn from agriculture, livestock, and fisheries sub-sectors.
Mungaro said the objective of the project is to improve fisheries as well as socio-economic development in the Coast Region, noting that his administration had laid down strategies aimed at improving performance in the fisheries sub-sector.
“The strategies include helping the fisherfolk acquire modern fishing gear, which includes modern boats, and formulating progressive legislation to enable the sector to perform in a secure environment.
He said in the financial year 2022-2023, the county government had facilitated the implementation of 35 projects to the tune of Sh98 million, while in the current financial year, his government would facilitate the implementation of 100 projects to the tune of Sh281 million.
“43 projects will be implemented in the fisheries sub-sector, 16 in the livestock sub-sector, 31 in agriculture, five in the environment, and another five in infrastructure development,” he said.
Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries, and the Blue Economy County Executive Committee Member Patterson Chula Mwagona challenged the beneficiary group to take care of the equipment and utilise it to uplift their livelihoods.
Kilifi County KEMFSED Project Manager Lucy Kapombe said that the project was being implemented in five of the six counties, with five out of the seven Kilifi Sub-Counties benefiting.
She said 210 families were benefiting directly from the fishing boat projects, adding that the entire first phase of the project was targeting 1,620 families, which are direct members of the common interest groups (CIGs).
She said phase two of the project would benefit 100 groups, which include 43 fisheries groups.
Beneficiaries thanked the national and county governments for the projects, saying they would greatly improve the economic well-being of their families as they would be able to venture into the deep sea.
Ms. Aisha Mohamed, a member of the Pweza Women Group, which received one of the modern boats, said the current shortage of fish in Malindi would be addressed as her members would be able to get a bigger catch in the deep sea.
She was optimistic that the national and county governments would build cold storage facilities to ensure their fish did not spoil, sentiments that were echoed by the chairman of all the Beach Management Units (BUMs) in Kilifi County, Mr. Charles Nyale.
By Emmanuel Masha
